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O’s Playoff Studs & Duds

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Well O’s fans, that’s it. All she wrote. The 2014 Orioles, who captured the team’s first American League Title since 1997, and then ran roughshod over the Detroit Tigers in three games on their way to the team’s first ALCS since ’97, were swept out of the postseason by the plucky upstart Kansas City Royals.

It was the first time in team history the O’s had been swept in a playoff series, and the pain will linger at least until pitchers and catchers report in February 2015.

So let’s take a look at the players who helped – and hindered – the Birds’ failed effort to reach their first World Series since 1983.

 

STUD

Kevin Gausman

gausmanplayoff

As we all lament missed opportunities here in the very recent past, there was at least one sign of incredibly bright things to come in the Orioles’ future this October, and it came in the form of the lanky righty from LSU, Kevin Gausman.

Pitching out of the bullpen, Gausman was a huge factor in the O’s even reaching the ALCS. In ALDS Game 2, after Wei-Yin Chen was chased early, and with the O’s trailing 5-2, Gausman shut down the Tigers’ potent lineup for 3.2 innings, allowing just three hits and a single run. Because Gausman kept the O’s in the game, Delmon Young’s heroics were possible.

Against KC, Gausman was even better. In a combined 4.1 innings, the only baserunner he allowed came on a walk.

Many were musing that, should the series have gone a full seven games, Gausman may have been handed the ball for the start in the finale. Unfortunately, we’ll never know, but I think we’d all have been quite comfortable with Kevin in that situation, just as we’re quite comfortable penciling him into the rotation next spring, and for years to come.

Final Line: 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1.13 ERA

 

DUD

Starting pitchers

Tillman ALCS

Speaking of the starting rotation…WOOF.

After being one of the surprises of baseball over the season’s second half, and putting up the best team ERA since 1979, the O’s pitching staff picked the worst possible time for the glass slipper to fall off and see everything turn back into a pumpkin, and the starters were the main culprits.

Chris Tillman, who had been extremely reliable and consistent all season, struggled mightily. In his first start, in ALDS Game 1, though he allowed only two earned runs on four hits, an elevated pitch count forced him out of the game after just 5.0 innings.

In ALCS Game 1, Tillman was even worse, allowing five ER on seven hits, exiting the game with a single out in the fifth inning. It was a typical Tillman start – one awful inning sprinkled in with several sparkling ones, with the awful one ultimately being his demise. Through two frames, Tilly had thrown 25 pitches, allowing just two singles.

Then, in the third, the wheels came off. Tillman threw 34 pitches in the third, and KC hung a four-spot thanks to a solo home run and a bases-loaded bloop (of course!) double. Though he wouldn’t allow any runs in the fourth, it still took him another 20 pitches to get through the inning. 79 pitches through four. Sigh. After a double and a groundout in the fifth, Tillman was gone.

His final postseason line: 2 starts, 9.1 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 6.75 ERA. Hardly “ace” stuff. We know he’s better than this, so it’s doubly disappointing.

Bud Norris would have found himself in the STUD column after his ALDS Game 3 performance, when he went 6.1 IP of two-hit, zero run ball. Unfortunately, he couldn’t repeat that against KC, as in Game 2 of the ALCS, Bud gave up four earned runs on nine hits in, again, just 4.1 IP.

Chen was the opposite of Bud – bad against Detroit, good against KC. He deserved better than he got in Kansas City (STUPID BLOOPS!), but his final October ERA was still a hefty 7.00.

Miguel Gonzalez gave the Birds a great chance to extend the series in Game 4, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing four hits and just one earned run. Unfortunately, the Royals also managed an unearned run off him, and those two runs proved to be enough on Wednesday. In retrospect, perhaps Gonzalez would have been a better choice for one of the games in Baltimore.

 

STUD

Andrew Miller

ALCS - Kansas City Royals v Baltimore Orioles - Game Two

The big lefty was, along with Gausman and perhaps Brad Brach, the only guys Buck Showalter could truly count on out of the ‘pen this postseason.

Miller’s performance has many O’s fans begging for him to be re-signed, but I don’t see that happening. Miller was already in line to get a huge free agent contract from some closer-needy team (Detroit, perhaps?), and his performance on the big October stage only solidified that. I’m afraid we’ve heard our last “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” at OPACY.

Final Line: 7.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K

[youtube]http://youtu.be/eJlN9jdQFSc[/youtube]

 

DUD

Zach Britton

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As for many of the O’s, it was a tale of two series for Britton, but Zach had some excitement sprinkled in between that could have, possibly, affected his performance.

After getting a crucial out in the 8th inning when ALDS Game 1 was still close, Britton continued his great start to the playoffs by retiring the Tigers 1-2-3 in Game 2 for his first postseason save. His second, in Game 3, was a bit more nerve-wracking, as he allowed back-to-back doubles to start the inning before wiggling out of the jam, aided by the intentional walk heard ’round the world.

Between series, Britton flew to California for the birth of his first child. A hefty congrats are certainly in order, but Zach’s roller-coaster week was really just getting started.

If Game 3 was an indication of things to come in the ALCS though, Buck didn’t heed the signs. Britton came on in a tie game of ALCS Game 1 and promptly threw 12 consecutive balls to load the bases. Though Darren O’Day bailed him out, and the weather may have been a factor, it was painful to watch Britton unable to throw a strike when all the Royals wanted to do was hand the O’s an out with a sacrifice bunt.

In Game 2, Britton again entered a 9th-inning tie game, and though he was able to throw strikes, he still couldn’t get outs. Entering with a man on, Britton gave up a single, a double, and two runs (one earned) before getting out of the frame. He pitched a scoreless inning in Game 4, but not before giving all of Birdland a fit of hives when he allowed a leadoff double to Billy Butler.

Final Line: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5 K, 5 BB, 3.86 ERA

 

STUD

Nelson Cruz

nellyalcs

Nellie got the postseason off to a great start, smacking a two-run home run in his first AB of October off Detroit’s Max Scherzer. He hit another two-run shot in Game 3 that proved to be just enough to push the O’s into the ALCS in a 2-1 win at Comerica Park. Against the Tigers, Cruz was 6/12 with two home runs and five RBI for a robust .500/.500/1.000 line.

Though he cooled off a bit against Kansas City, Cruz managed four hits against the Royals, second only to Nick Markakis in the ALCS.

Postseason overall: 10/28, 1 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, .357/.400/.607

 

DUD

Adam Jones

Division Series - Detroit Tigers v Baltimore Orioles - Game One

Oh, Adam. Adam, Adam, Adam.

Wouldn’t it be nice if, one of these times the O’s made the postseason, their best player would show up and play like their best player? After a dismal 2-26, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 7 K performance in the 2012 postseason, O’s fans were hoping that Jones had matured enough to calm himself down and be a huge factor for the Birds this time around. Even after he again looked overanxious and just bad against Detroit, I held out hope, predicting Jones as my ALCS MVP.

As it turned, out that hope was misguided.

Jones was once again anything but Mr. October, going 6-for-27 with a team-high 8 strike outs against Detroit and KC. Now, granted his three-run home run in Game 2 of the ALCS was a huge hit at the time, and kept the Birds in that game. Kudos to AJ for that AB and big-time dinger.

However, that home run happened because he got himself into a favorable 2-0 count, then didn’t miss a Yordano Ventura fastball. Maybe this was the swing of confidence Adam needed!

Or not.

It’s impossible to get yourself into a favorable count when you’re hacking at the first pitch, which Jones did so often, and continued to do even after the home run. It’s what does, it’s who he is…the problem lies with us, for expecting anything different.

We all remember seeing the stat this year that Jones led MLB in 1st-inning home runs. Now a cynical fan might muse that that stems from the nature of the situation – no pressure in the first inning. By extension, when the pressure is turned up – in the individual game, or especially in a playoff series – that player will wither. While I don’t necessarily feel that Jones withered, I think his overwhelming hunger to be the hero and carry his team hurts him. And that’s just what it did, again, this postseason.

 

He made those numbers 30 and 24, respectively, with a first-inning strikeout in Game 4 against Jason Vargas. He surprised everybody with two walks while adding a bloop single, but it was too little, too late.

Postseason overall: 6/27, 1 XBH (HR), 3 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K, .222/.323/.333

 

STUD

Ryan Flaherty

flahertyhralcs

That’s right, Ryan friggin’ Flaherty. We were all worried about third base coming into the postseason, after a September of seeing the likes of Alexi Casilla and Jimmy Paredes butchering grounders at the hot corner. Flaherty made a costly error in Game 2, but for the most part manned his position quite well. He also had a string of very good at bats, and put up the Birds’ only run in Game 4 with a solo home run off Vargas. His four walks were the most on the team in the playoffs.

Postseason overall: 6/21, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K, .286/.400/.429

 

DUD

Steve Pearce

MLB: ALCS-Baltimore Orioles at Kansas City Royals

It was a very disappointing postseason for one of the best stories of the regular season, Steve Pearce. Pearce looked completely lost against Detroit (save for a big single during in the pivotal Game 2 rally) and then was the culprit of several big missed opportunities against Kansas City. Pearce was visibly upset several times during the ALCS, going to a knee in the dugout in Game 2 and slamming his bat against the ground in frustration in Game 4.

Pearce did seem to get back to his old self a bit between the two games in Baltimore and the two in KC, but unfortunately got very little to show for it. In Games 3 and 4, Pearce hit at least 5-6 baseballs very hard, but always right at somebody. He seemed to be the personification of the Royals’ luck, in fact.

Postseason overall: 4/27, 1 XBH (2B), 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K, .148/.233/.185

 

STUD/DUD

Nick Markakis

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It was an odd stretch for nick in his October debut, where he put together several mini-streaks. He started his first postseason appearance gangbusters, and I was ready to dub this month “Nicktober.” Markakis had three hits, including a two-run home run off Justin Verlander, in his first eight AB of the playoffs.

He was 0/4 in ALDS Game 3 (understandable with David Price on the hill), but rebounded with a 3/6 with a double in ALCS Game 1.

Then, much like he did over the final month of the season, Nick seemed to cool off drastically. He fell into a 1/12 skid in Games 2-4, with weak grounders and pop-ups abundant before finally singling in what was his last AB of the postseason. The team could have really used some knocks from “Nick the Stick” during that dry period. So Nick’s “stud” streak really helped the O’s advance and nearly grab a game in the LCS, but his “dud” streak was detrimental.

Postseason combined: 8/31, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, .258/.281/.387

 

STUD

Delmon Young

youngalds

The guy gave us a moment that will go down in Baltimore sports lore, so yeah, he gets “STUD” status despite his relatively mediocre performance otherwise (including two soul-crushing GIDP balls in ALCS Game 4).

Postseason combined: 2/9, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 3 K

 

HONORABLE MENTION STUD

Alejandro De Aza – .333/.391/.476, 3 2B, 3 RBI

 

DISHONORABLE MENTION DUDS

Jonathan Schoop – .190/.292/.238, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Nick Hundley/Caleb Joseph (combined) – 3/24, 0 XBH, 2 RBI, 9 K

Brian Matusz – 0.2 IP, 1 HR allowed

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